Dynamo's Ralston focused on task at hand

Steve Ralston, a former member of the Revolution and current coach with the Dynamo, acknowledges applause from fans before Saturday's match against the Dynamo.

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DYNAMO UPDATE

Sunday: At Phila-delphia in first leg of Eastern Conference semifinal series at PPL Park, 3 p.m.

Nov. 3: Philadelphia in second leg of Eastern Conference semifinal series at Robertson Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

TV/radio: Sunday, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes; 950 AM, 850 AM (Spanish).

Shortly after arriving for practice Tuesday morning, Dynamo assistant coach Steve Ralston was peppered with taunts from players eager to find out when he would interview for the vacant New England Revolution coaching position.

Ralston played eight seasons for the Revolution, becoming one of the franchise's all-time greats before retiring in July 2010 to become an assistant coach with the Dynamo.

Among the New England media and throughout MLS circles, Ralston's name circulated as a candidate for the job soon after the Revolution announced they were parting ways with Steve Nicol, who had led the team for an MLS-record 10 seasons.

"I just read it on the Internet, and that's the only thing I know," said Ralston, who holds the MLS record for assists (135), minutes played (33,143), games (378) and starts (372). "The only thing I would say is I feel bad, because Steve Nicol is a great coach, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing for him all my years there."

Ralston, 37, was eager to avoid any appearance of lobbying for his former coach's job.

He also was adamant that his primary focus is on helping prepare the Dynamo for the upcoming Eastern Conference home-and-away series against the Philadelphia Union.

"I enjoyed my time there," he said. "But honestly, my job now is to help this team prepare for Sunday. That's what I'm doing."

It's clear the Dynamo are willing to give the Revolution permission to interview Ralston.

Dominic Kinnear, who met Ralston when they were teammates with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, lets his assistant coaches know that he would always support them in their quests to become head coaches. Ralston got his job with the Dynamo after former assistant John Spencer left to prepare for the first season as the coach of the expansion Portland Timbers.